Cuepacs wants a chairperson who is neutral to be appointed to head the special commission to carry out a comprehensive and holistic review on the civil service in the country.

Its deputy president, Azih Muda, said the move was necessary to convince all parties especially about the 1.4 million civil servants that the government was serious in improving the civil service's image in the eyes of the people through the implementation of the government’s transformation agenda.

“If possible, we hope this commission can be implemented immediately and that the chairperson (of the commission) is a neutral person,” he told reporters after attending a forum entitled ‘The Role and Challenges In Realising the Transformation of the Country’, which was officially opened by Cuepacs secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng in Shah Alam today.

The establishment of the commission was announced by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak at a special meeting of civil servants in Putrajaya on March 8 and during the event, Najib also announced the cancellation of the New Public Service Remuneration Scheme (SBPA) and the adoption of an improved version of the current Malaysian Remuneration System (SSM), including salary adjustments between seven to 13 percent.

Lok, when commenting about the same matter, said that she hoped that Cuepacs, the umbrella union for civil servants, would also be given an opportunity to sit in the commission.  

In another matter, Lok said the salary adjustment for civil servants under the SSM was the result of the struggle by Cuepacs and not by certain political parties and as such, urged certain parties not to politicise the matter as it would only confuse the people.

- Bernama